SHAWNEE – Fresh off a 5-0 week, and riding a seven-match winning streak that's seen the Bison drop just one set in that same span, Oklahoma Baptist is set to jump head first into Great American Conference action with a pair of matches this week.
Up first for OBU is a home contest against Northwestern Oklahoma State at 7 p.m. in Mabee Arena at the Noble Complex on Tuesday, Sept. 24. The Bison then turn around and make the short trip to Ada to face East Central at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 26.
The Bison, 11-3 overall and 1-0 in conference play after dispatching Southeastern Oklahoma State in straight sets on the road last week, have set a new Division II-era record with seven-straight wins this season.
Oklahoma Baptist boasts the GAC's top-rated offense at 13.20 kills/set while hitting an efficient .212 on 1,362 attempts.
Malia Leatherland and
Hayley Daniel rank fourth and seventh in the league with averages of 3.45 and 3.09 kills/set. Leatherland also ranks seventh in hitting percentage at a .261 clip.
Rylen Moore and
Kaylee Buell have continued to keep the offense humming, combining to lead OBU to the highest assists/set average in the conference at 12.25. Moore leads the Bison, and ranks seventh in the conference, with an individual average of 7.21.
Defensively, the Bison rank fourth in all of Division II with a total of 949 digs for an average of 18.25 digs/set.
Diana Carranza leads the defensive effort, ranking fifth in the nation with 257 total digs.
Audrey Poupard has continued to progress each week at the net, now leading OBU at .92 blocks/set. Opponents are hitting just .147 against the Bison, the top mark in the GAC.
Northwestern Oklahoma State four out of their last five contests and owns a 9-5 record including a 1-0 conference mark. The Rangers average 12.00 kills/set, paced by Kiauna Clark's average of 3.47. Defensively, Sydnee Miller leads the team with 4.95 digs/set as opponents are hitting only .148 for the season against Northwestern.
East Central holds a 1-13 record on the year, but snapped a 47-match losing streak on Saturday with a sweep of Randall at the Bison Invitational. The Tigers currently average 9.00 kills/set, led by Zainya Norvell's 2.30 average. Kasey Beeler boasts a team-high 4.32 digs/set, but opponents are averaging 13.9 kills against ECU's defense.
